MEDEA: a space odyssey

Our friends over at Film School Rejects inform us of two big facts.  One, Tyler Perry was very disappointed with Prometheus.  But, who wasn’t?  Two, he wants to do his own sci-fi film.  Delicious right?  Here’s what Perry said…

“I love Sci Fi, I love the Alien movies and the Alien franchise. I was very disappointed with Prometheus, but I love that whole franchise. Those are my favorite movies. I’m actually working on a sci-fi movie right now,” said the writer/actor/director.

And that’s really all the info we needed to let our imaginations run wild.  Now, while he claims that no actual Medea’s would be harmed in the making of this film because there would be no actual cross-dressing involved, we can’t help but ask him to reconsider.  Because the possibilities, as they say, are endless…endless…ENDLESS…ENDLESS!!!

Okay, that was an epic fail trying to type an actual audio/echo-ey effect! Boo.  But now that you KNOW it’s an echo effect, you should prolly go back and re-read that last sentence, just so you get the full effect.  I’ll wait.

Mr. Perry…to get your creative juices flowing, we offer up this motivational poster of your first Sci-Fi film!  There will be some small issues with licensing certain characters but don’t let that stop you!  James Cameron is a peach to work with.  So is Alf.  Just think, this could be the NEXT ultimate crossover film!  Kinda like…the Avengers!  Or as they’re known around Hollywood, the Ka-ching-ers!

Get it?  Cause the box office is so…?  Ka-ching is the sound of the…?  Never mind.

Now, for your viewing pleasure….

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Trailer: Alex Cross with Tyler Perry

Medea just got real, people!  Tyler Perry is channeling some Denzel Washington acting chops in this James Patterson book-to-Film against Matthew Fox (“Lost”) who is channeling some Edward Norton.  I mean, I watched the trailer and Perry doesn’t once turn toward camera closeup and say, “Awwww, heeeeyyuulllll no!”

But don’t take my word for it, check it yourself…

Director: Rob Cohen (“Fast and Furious”, “Dragonheart”)

Writers: Marc Moss, Kerry Williamson (Screenplay)
James Patterson (novel)

ProdCo:  Summit Entertainment

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Has World Wide Pictures been Raptured?

Dear Billy and/or Franklin and/or Anne and/or Other Lesser Known But Equally Valued Graham Sibling(s):

I have a righteous bone to pick with you!  No, it’s not the Pre-Trib/Post-Trib thing, though I’m 97% sure Dr. Billy knows when Jesus is returning but he’s not sharing with the rest of us.  No, I’ve got bigger fish to fry.  What have you done with World Wide Pictures?  Did you off-load it at a Garage sale?  Did you cut it up into tiny pieces and turn it into “Dare to be a Daniel” bracelets?  Did you take it with you on a South African Crusade where it “met with a little accident”?  Is it tied up in the basement of the Log Cabin at the Cove?

Where are you World Wide Pictures?  Ollie Ollie Oxen Free!

According to IMDb.com the last film was released in 2004.  Was it ironic foreshadowing that the title was “Last Flight Out”?!?  Sounds a wee bit suspicious to me.  And why is no one asking any questions?  Everybody is all, “That’s cool, man…24 different films and then…ffffffft.  Gone.  Right on!  Prolly Raptured!”

24 Films!  And then it vanishes into nothingness like Keyser Soze?  I. Think. Not.

Come to think of it, it vanished the same year that “The Passion of the Christ” hit the theaters.  Oh man, oh man, oh man!  I’m about to go all CSI all over you Billy G!  And not the second-rate spinoffs like CSI:Miami or CSI:Asheboro….I’m talking pre-Caruso expert gumshoe ballistics.

Is that a thing?  Gumshoe Ballistics?  I don’t actually watch CSI…but it seems like it could be a thing.

Anywho, if Team Billy has a minute from saving the planet, I’d like to go over a few of the incriminating facts.

FACT: Recently “MovieGuide’s” Ted Baehr said that 132 of the top movies released by Hollywood contained positive Christian content

FACT: “Road to Redemption”, “The Climb” and “Last Flight Out” were headed in the right direction cinematically even though,

FACT: In 1986 I lost major cool points among my friends as “The Official Movie Buff friend” when I recommended “Caught”

FACT: Filmmaking’s not THAT hard.  I mean, Tyler Perry spits out a new one every time he brushes his teeth

FACT: The Salary of an average Pro Wrestler is $47,500/yr

FACT: Sherwood Baptist, Cloud Ten Pics and Gener8xion could reeeeeeeally use some competition at the Box Office.

FACT: World Wide Pics has been on the film scene since 1953 and helped launch an  industry which it abandoned practically in Utero circa 2004.  But maybe most importantly,

FACT:  The Average life expectancy ( in seconds ) of an enemy soldier in a Chuck Norris film =  4

FACT: Reboots are all the rage.  Batman, James Bond, Tron, Rocky and Karate Kid have all received dramatic franchise makeovers.

FACT: BGEA’s production facilities are first-rate, completely  HiDef and easily outfitted for a feature film revolution

FACT: You’ve got multi-generations of Rock the River-ers and Dare to Be Daniel-ers begging you to do for film what you do in Music and Pop Culture

Here’s what I’m hoping.  I’m hoping you’re just taking a little breather.  Re-purposing World Wide Pics.  Upgrading parts, like the Bionic Man and you’re just waiting to unleash heaven on us any day now.

What, do you need script ideas?  A Modern Day Daniel in the Lions Den High School story.  Or how about Disaster Relief: the Movie.  We could hook you up with Richard Brunson over at the NC Baptist Men on that Disaster Relief film…he said he’d do it if we could get George Clooney to play him!  I’m pretty sure if that happened we could get Brad Pitt to play Franklin.  Either that or Denzel Washington.  It’s kind of a toss up, there.

But it’s time, Grahams.  It’s time to get back in the arena and it’s time to show these Christian film whipper-snappers how to use High Production Value and Craftsmanship as well as compelling stories to lead the pack in global impact.  Unless your first step is to form a committee on Film Making. In that case….uhhhhh, forget I said anything.

But that’s not been your style.  I’ve seen some amazing examples from BGEA recently of a Christian Ministry leading in Cultural Relevance.  It’s time.  And if all this begging and pleading and factual gumshoe ballisticery isn’t enough for you, then I have to resort to this:  I double dog dare you…no….I triple dog dare you to make another film!  (And if you know anything about Triple Dog Dares, there is NO backing down, my friend!)

Let’s make a movie!

Sincerely,

S. David Acuff
Wired4Film

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Outlook for Faith-Based Films 6 Years After ‘Passion’

Here’s a great Christian Film update from Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith over at BeckSmithHollywood.com that we uncovered recently.

(EXCERPT) It’s been six years since “The Passion of the Christ” made history with its $611 million world-wide box office gross, its groundbreaking church-based promotional roll-out and its rendering of proof that there was an audience for a great Christian film.  After that, there was a spurt of activity toward faith-themed movie and TV productions in Hollywood.  So what’s happened?

Some things did indeed get made.  “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe” became a roaring success for Disney with a $745 million worldwide box office take, sequels and merchandising galore.  New Line’s “The Nativity Story” took in $604 million.

Then there are the film and TV productions that don’t have Christian themes, per se, but do express faithful ideals and might not have gotten made – or made quite the same way – had it not been for the industry’s recognition that there is an underserved segment of the audience out there hungry for inspirational fare.  “Amazing Grace,” the historical film about British abolitionist William Wilberforce (Ioan Gruffudd), counts church regular Patricia Heaton among its producers.

Tyler Perry’s comedies contain the family values he and his devoted audience, made up largely of African-American churchgoers, hold dear.

The Christian film niche market is busy, with dozens of active production companies bringing forth a stream of product.  The most successful of those in terms of box office is Kirk Cameron’s “Fireproof,” which surprised everyone with a domestic gross of more than $33 million in 2008 – the highest of any independent film that year, followed by $28.5 million in DVD sales.

David Nixon, who was one of the producers of “Fireproof” as well as its popular predecessor, “Facing the Giants,” has “Letters to God” now in release.

More films of interest to Christians are on the way as well, including Roland Joffe’s “There Be Dragons,” for which a full-fledged church-based marketing campaign is already being planned for next year.  Set at the time of the Spanish American War, it’s about a journalist who is investigating a candidate for sainthood, and discovers a personal tie to the prospective saint, as well as dark family secrets.  Charlie Cox, Wes Bentley and Dougray Scott star in the film, which will show the Catholic Opus Dei organization in a different light than it was in “The Da Vinci Code.”

The true-life saga of a band of courageous Dutch WWII heroes will get a fresh look in “Return to the Hiding Place,” which is due to shoot in July in the Netherlands, Texas and Michigan.  It revisits the story of Corrie ten Boom and her family, who hid Jews in their home until they could be smuggled out of the country via the underground –from the vantage point of one of the resistance fighters.

And in light of our Jesus vs. Jesus article recently about two Jesus films in development, I thought this was par-TIC-ularly fascinating that there’s yet a third.  But with a studio name like Samuel Goldwyn behind them, I trust we’ll be seeing this one on the silver screen first.

(EXCERPT) And coming up on Easter for NEXT year is “The Resurrection of the Christ,” planned for shooting in Israel, Morocco and Europe for distribution by Samuel Goldwyn Films (which also brought us “Amazing Grace,” “Fireproof” and this year’s “To Save a Life,” by the way).  Indie producer Billy McKay — whose credits include “Billy: The Early Years,” the Billy Graham biopic — told Variety that the movie “is as much about the key players as it is about Jesus.”  Expect to see more about Pontius Pilate, Herod, Caiaphas and Judas.  Plus, according to McKay, “We want to bring in the Gladiator dimension of the first century against the political milieu of the time.”

Check out the full article at BeckSmithHollywood.com!

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Lionsgate revenues roar

(June 1, 2009)  A Variety Magazine article by Dave McNary that talks about Lionsgate’s jump in revenue 1Q2009.  Interestingly enough, Tyler Perry’s “Madea Goes to Jail” helped boost the studios earnings.

(EXCERPT)  Driven by strong box office, homevid and library sales, Lionsgate reported its second-highest quarterly revenue of $463.2 million for its fourth quarter ended March 31 — but that wasn’t enough to save it from a $163 million loss for the fiscal year.

The 2009 revenues were up 8% but the loss was more than double the $74 million loss in fiscal 2008.

Lionsgate said the fiscal-year loss was due primarily to underperformance of its film slate during its second and third quarters and a $36.1 million charge taken on its DVD distribution of Hit Entertainment’s family entertainment titles.

"Tyler Perry's Madea Goes To Jail"

“We ended our fiscal year on a strong note, with record box office in the first calendar quarter,” Feltheimer said. “We are also pleased that we could drive library, home entertainment and television revenues to record levels in such a challenging market environment. We believe that continued strength in our core businesses coupled with meaningful contributions from many of our recent investments and lower theatrical marketing costs position us for strong positive metrics in fiscal 2010.”

For the 2009 fiscal year, motion picture revenue jumped 17% to $223.3 million, propelled by fourth-quarter titles including “Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail,” ”My Bloody Valentine” and “The Haunting in Connecticut.”

 

Read the full article at VARIETY

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Faith on Film

(SEP 01, 2007) Troy Anderson of Charisma Magazine writes about some recent trends inside and outside Hollywood for Faith-based, family friendly films.

Faith on Film

(EXCERPT) As a new generation picks up the mantle to help redeem Hollywood, [Ken] Wales says filmmakers should focus first on telling compelling, first-rate stories.

“I’m a real big fan of telling the great story,” says Wales, also a University of Southern California film professor. “The three most important parts of filmmaking are story, story and story, no matter how much technology improves.”

Hollywood Set to Honor Faith-Based Movies

(FEB 7, 2007) Randee Dawn of the Hollywood Reporter writes about the growing effects that Faith-Based films are having on Hollywood as Studios begin to ramp up their new production slates to include more “Christian” films.

 (EXCERPT) “Hollywood does not understand the people who live between New York and California,” says [casting director Reuben] Cannon, who was the first to describe [Tyler] Perry’s oeuvre as ‘gospel cinema’.  Now that I live in the South, religion is probably the biggest activity here. The Bible Belt is not just a name. It is real. Hollywood just hasn’t catered to the Christian faith-based market because it hasn’t been necessary.”

READ the Full Article by Randee Dawn on www.BackStage.com:

http://www.backstage.com/bso/news_reviews/film/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003547509